Lewis Sullivan regards 1500m British title win as his personal best achievement

Lewis Sullivan finished his track season on a huge high by adding the British Under-15s 1500m Outdoor Championships title to his growing collection.

The 14-year-old St Edmunds Pacers’ star revealed his medal in Bedford is his personal highlight of a success-laden year.

It came after the Bury St Edmunds schoolboy, who attends Sybil Andrews Academy, became the first Suffolk winner of the the English Schools Cross Country Championships before winning on his England debut in Dublin.

He has been able to transfer his form on to the track, having set the fastest 1500m time this year for his age group (4:04 minutes) ahead of clinching the British title in Bedford.

On Sunday he raced to victory in a time of four minutes and 18 seconds, coming out on top in a tactical race.

“It’s amazing. It’s a really good way to end the track season, I’m so happy with it,” he said.

“It wasn’t my fastest run but it feels really good, I had to be much more tactical.”

And there is no doubt where the race ranks in his mind.

“I would say this is the one I’m happiest with, because it is one of the biggest track competitions in the country,” he said.

“There was lots of supporters there watching. My dad, coach and a friend came to support me which was nice.”

Sullivan began track running properly last year, and says he will struggle to chose between the two when he is older.

“I have always done more cross-country, but the past year me and my coach Martyn Brophy decided I should really go for the track side of things,” he said.

“It’s a lot easier because there isn’t any hills or obstacles to deal with, but it is more tactical.

“I’ve been focussing mainly on 800m and 1500m, so maybe as I get a bit older I will start looking at 3000m.

“I will probably have to choose when I am older, maybe around seventeen,” he added.

Despite a successful first season, with just one fixture left on the track calendar, Sullivan is now turning his attention to the return of cross-country running at the end of this month.

“The season starts at the end of September, and my first major event will be the Nationals which are held in Leeds in December.

“I’m looking forward to the cross-country season, but I also want to carry on with track,” he said.

“My first cross-country race will be in Leeds in December, and the season will go all through winter until around March time.”

Despite his success in both disciplines, Sullivan remains aware of the fact that he must keep working hard to achieve his goals.

“I know that I want to win more national and inter-county championships, and to do that I need to keep working hard and doing what I am doing,” he said.

“My ultimate goal would be to compete at the Olympics, but aside from that I want to be able to pursue a career within running.

“I have surprised myself a lot with some of my results so I want to keep pushing for more and trying to do better,” he added.